The New Pride
by Jada Ryl
Summary: By the time Albus Potter arrives at Hogwarts, Gryffindor house is empty. What happens when not only are Albus and Rose sorted into the empty house, but also a certain blond wizard? Response to Silverfox1's TLL challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I am not J. K. Rowling. If I were, I'd be publishing this as part of a HP sequel series and earning some money with it. As much as I could use the money, I am not a complete dunderhead, no matter what some may say. I have no wish to go to Azkaban for breach of copyright. That is for those of Lockhart's ilk. So, for all of those who wish to disgrace Slytherin house by being overly fond of litigation, the Harry Potter series does NOT belong to me. This is a work of fanfiction and is written for the fun and challenge of writing. Please do not sue me. You could probably extract more money from Weasley than from me. If you want money, go sue Lucius. He's got it by the vault and you might actually be able to win a case against him now that the Chaos of the Phoenix has managed to clean the Ministry up a bit.

**Author's Note:** This is in response to the challenge for Silverfox1's The Last Lion.

Albus Severus Potter took a deep breath as he stepped into the Great Hall with the other first years. He winced as he thought of James' incessant teasing. He really didn't want to be in Slytherin -- not since his own brother would make fun of him for it. He sighed. But he didn't feel like he belonged in Ravenclaw -- there was definitely more to life than studying. That just left Hufflepuff. Teddy said that no one was sorted into Gryffindor anymore. The small first year glanced at the long empty table. Why was his own father's house empty?

"Malfoy, Scorpius," a dark-haired man called.

Albus blinked. Had they gone through the alphabet that quickly? He watched the slender blond boy sit confidently on the stool as the dark-haired professor put the Sorting Hat on his head.

"Gryffindor!" the hat announced loudly.

Albus gasped. The first Gryffindor in sixteen years. And he was a Malfoy?! What kind of sense did that make? What would Dad say? Uncle Ron and Uncle George would be horrified. He stifled a snicker at the thought of Uncle Ron turning a sickly green at the news.

"Potter, Albus," the professor announced.

Albus slowly made his way forward. He barely perched on the edge of the stool. The brim of the Sorting Hat shaded his whole face.

"Hmm..." the hat mused in the black-haired boy's mind. "Another Potter. You have intelligence, but not of the bookish sort. You'd never fit in Ravenclaw. You'd never fit in with that placid house. And they've only grown more so since the war. You are loyal, but you have too much exuberance to fit in Hufflepuff. You are determined, ambitious and cunning, but not heartless. And all that bravery, yet you allow your intelligence to guide it."

"Not Slytherin," Albus muttered. "Please, not Slytherin. James'll never let me live that down."

"Not Slytherin?" the hat continued. "Never fear. I had no intention of putting you in Slytherin. No, you are too much like your father and mother for that. I've been waiting for this opportunity for over a decade and a half. It's about time that the feud between the Potters, the Weasleys, and the Malfoys ended. A lion cub like you belongs in..."

"Gryffindor," the hat annouced to the entire school.

Albus stood and walked silently to sit next to the Malfoy boy. He could feel his brother's eyes on him from the Hufflepuff table. He met James' gaze triumphantly.

Albus quietly looked at the silver-haired boy. He bit his lip. What would it be like being in the same house as a Death Eater's son. He'd grown up hearing about the legendary fights his dad, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and Mr. Malfoy had gotten into back when they were at Hogwarts. It would be thoroughly miserable if this Malfoy was that sort of git.

A short time later, Rose sat down beside him. "So much for Dad telling me to avoid Malfoy," she quipped. "I guess I'm one of the Gryffindor prefects. Which of you is the other?"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Count me out," he retorted. "Why would I want to be a prefect? For that matter, you're no goody-two-shoes, either."

The blond cracked a smile at that. "I guess that leaves me as the other prefect,"he said quietly. "Maybe then Father won't be so upset that I'm not in Slytherin."

"Your dad will be angry that you're not in his house?" Rose asked, growing serious. "But why? It's not like you had any say in the matter."

The boy shrugged. "He says that all Malfoys are Slytherins and if you're not a Slytherin, you're not a Malfoy," he muttered. "At least you two are normal for your families."

"If you count being in the same house as a Malfoy as normal," Albus countered. "Anyway, I guess you'll be famous. You're the first person to be sorted into Gryffindor since Dad left Hogwarts. That's got to count for something with your dad, right?"

The other boy shrugged again, but looked happier. "I can hope." He held out his hand. "Scorpius Malfoy."

Albus shook the other boy's hand. "Albus Potter," he replied. "But everyone calls me Al."

"I'm Rose Weasley," Albus' cousin said, extending her hand. "Pleased to meet you." Suddenly she yelped as a grey, transparent figure rose through the table.

"At last!" the ghost exclaimed. "It's a little hard being the Gryffindor ghost when there are no Gryffindors. Welcome to Hogwarts!"

"Thanks, Nick!" Albus replied as the ghost floated away. "And here I was afraid I'd end up in Slytherin and James would tease me every time he saw me. Of course, he still might."

Scorpius glared at him. "What's wrong with Slytherin?" he challenged.

"Oh, nothing," Rose replied calmly. "Just Dad told me he'd disown me if I was sorted into Slytherin -- not that he meant it, of course -- and James has been harrassing Albus about getting sorted into Slytherin since we got our letters. Everyone else might want to get sorted into Slytherin, but Dad and Uncle George have convinced James that Slytherin's the worst fate imaginable. Nonsense of course."

Albus frowned. "The only problem with this all is..." he paused for a moment. "How are we ever going to win the House Cup? There's only three of us. All the other houses have at least a hundred students to earn points. Gryffindor hasn't had a chance in over fifteen years."

Scorpius grinned. "Well... I don't suppose anything excitng happens anymore, not like when our parents were here? The war ended before we were born, but that doesn't mean that the wizarding world is perfect, does it?"

Albus and Rose looked at each other and back at Scorpius. "Are you saying what I think you are?" Albus asked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I already told you dunderheads that I don't own Harry Potter. Tomhas Cuplach, however, is mine.

**Author's Note:** Sorry this is short. I'm trying to keep this moving. I may, later, redo some of these chapters and make them longer. Again, please review.

The three young Gryffindors looked at each other as the Headmaster dismissed everyone from the Great Hall. They watched the other First Years following their prefects. "So what do we do?" the girl muttered. "We don't have a prefect. I have no idea where the Gryffindor common room is. I don't even know who our Head of House is!"

The green-eyed boy shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll have to go with another house for now." He stood. "Come on. James is in Hufflepuff. I'm sure he wouldn't mind having us around for the evening." He looked at Scorpius. "Unless you have a better idea."

"I think we should go with the Slytherins," Scorpius said quietly, standing. "They're closer to what I've heard Gryffindor's are supposed to be. Besides, I'd like to see where my dad spent his time here. It'd be safer, too."

The other boy gaped at him. "Safer?" he asked. "What in Merlin's name do you mean? Anyhow, the Slytherins, of all the houses wouldn't want us there. We're their greatest rivals -- or will be once we get some housemates her next year."

Scorpius frowned. Did his new housemate really have to ask what he meant? Didn't he know why Slytherin was safest?! "There still aren't as many Muggleborns in Slytherin as the others," he exclaimed. "They're not safe. They know nothing of proper Wizarding behavior. Like as not, they'll do something terrible to us in our sleep without even knowing it was dangerous. If they even care."

Rose's faced turned bright red. "How dare you talk about Muggleborns like that," she said so loudly she was nearly yelling. "My mother's Muggleborn and she's nothing like that. You -- you bigoted son of a Death Eater!"

Scorpius felt his face grow hot at her words. "Look, I know your mum's a great witch, even though she's Muggleborn. I didn't mean that no Muggleborn's better than that, but how would most of them know better?! They've never been taught!"

"That's why they're here, Malfoy," the Potter boy retorted almost coldly. "Just like us. So they can be taught. And you have to admit that no Muggleborn to date has descended to the level of the Death Eaters and other like them."

Scorpius sighed. "Look, I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to insult anyone you care about. Why don't you two go stay in Hufflepuff with James and I'll go stay in Slytherin. We'll meet up in the morning."

Weasley and Potter both nodded. "Maybe we'd better do that," the other boy said with a glance at the girl. They turned and walked away with the Hufflepuff first years.

Scorpius took a deep breath and turned toward the Slytherins. Most of them had already left the hall. He trailed a couple older students toward the lower levels of the school.

"Well, if it isn't the Malfoy iceblood," a voice behind him sneered.

Scorpius spun around. The older boy wore Hufflepuff yellow. "Who are you?" he spat. "What do you want?"

The Hufflepuff laughed. "Oh, I just wanted to see this... enigma. The Malfoy who was sorted into Gryffindor when Gryffindor died out years ago. Maybe iceblood is the wrong term for your kind. Maybe deadblood would be more accurate. After all, you've been sorted into the house of the dead."

"I was always told that Gryffindor was the house of the brave, not the dead," Scorpius retorted boldly. "I'm not a ghost yet. Only then will I belong to the house of the dead."

His declaration was met with dark laughter. "Yet you were sorted into a house populated solely by ghosts, iceblood. And perhaps you will be one by the end of the year. Your kind's not welcome in this school. As for the house of the brave, I'm sure that's why you're down here in the dungeons. Too scared to stay in the ghostly Gryffindor Tower while you learn to kill everyone who fails to meet your Pureblood standard. Why don't you just write your daddy and tell him to send you to another school?"

"Why should I do that?" Scorpius demanded. "Just because you're an overgrown bully?"

The black-haired Hufflepuff stepped closer. "No," he said, his voice eerily quiet. "Because you'll be the first to find out what comes to your kind. I'm sure your father would be overjoyed for us to send you home in a block of ice, as frozen as your solid blood."

Scorpius hoped he didn't look as intimidated as he felt. "You'd go to Azkaban for that," he retorted.

"Only if they knew I did it," the older student countered. "Besides, did I say I would be the one to do it? I can think of some other students who would be more than capable."

Scorpius hesitated. "How do I know you're not bluffing?"

The Hufflepuff drew his wand. "By this," he said.

Just then, a red-haired boy in Hufflepuff robes rounded the corner. "Lay off him, Cuplach," he said. "It's only the first day of term. This is too soon to get hauled off to the Headmaster's office."

The older Hufflepuff turned to him. "You're protecting an iceblood, Potter?" he asked. "And a Malfoy at that?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Why would I do that?" he asked. "But what's the point of this. Granted, I'm not thrilled with Malfoy being in the same house as my brother, but this won't help. Besides, the second years are more interesting. A brand new first year? Can you think of anything more boring?"

The older Hufflepuff just laughed. "Whatever, Potter," he taunted as he walked toward the stairs.

Scorpius thought he saw an odd look on the redhead's face as the older boy turned to follow his housemate.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose frowned as she followedt he Hufflepuffs to their common room. How could anyone say such things about Muggleborns? As if it was their fault that they'd had no one to teach them about magic and magical culture before now. Her mum was not dangerous. At least, not to normal people, whether wizard or Muggle. She could fight a Death Eater almost as well as Dad or Uncle Harry. After all, weren't the Death Eaters the truly dangerous ones? She clenched her fists. "I don't believe him, Albus," she muttered. "I bet he's never even met a Muggleborn before, but he starts talking as if they're the menace of the Wizarding World."

Albus shook his head. "Well, look who his dad is, Rose," he replied. "I bet he doesn't know any better. Yeah, it's annoying, but he can't help what he's been taught. Not that I wanted to spend the rest of the evening listening to how ignorant and dangerous Muggleborns are. I think Aunt Hermione's the perfect answer to that. I'm too tired to teach him tonight."

"He's old enough to think for himself, Al!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you're defending him! Malfoy is to old to simply believe whatever his daddy tells him. Blimey, I'm so glad he didn't come with us tonight. I hope we don't have to move to Gryffindor tower very soon."

Her cousin glared at her. "You're acting just like Uncle Ron, you know?" he retorted. "Give the guy a chance, Rose. Wait until one Muggleborn gets better grades and another saves his neck. I doubted if he'll still think they're mostly dangerous then. Besides, didn't you notice?"

Rose looked up at Al. "Notice what?" she asked. "That he's just like his dad? That he thinks people like mum are stupid? That he's an arrogant prat?"

"No, Rosie!" Al shook his head firmly. "He did say Muggleborn, not Mudblood. And he did admit that Aunt Hermione's a great witch. Didn't you ever wonder why Malfoy's sort ever started looking down on Muggles and Muggleborns in the first place?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "As if they'd need a reason!" she retorted. What had gotten into Al? "They just want to make themselves feel better than other people. So they pick those who can't do what they can or have family who can't. But you'll notice most wizards don't have the first clue what a phone looks like, let alone what it does. Not to mention a gun."

Albus groaned. "That last bit's true but, really, even if you're right about the only reason they look down on Muggleborns now, there had to be a real reason in the beginning. I haven't heard what it was, but there must have been one. Salazar Slytherin must have had a reason why he didn't want Muggleborns at Hogwarts. No one today knows why he left over that."

"He was Slytherin, Al! What other reason did he need? Of course he hated Muggleborns! Look, if you're going to be such a Pureblood Supremist sympathizer, why weren't you sorted into Slytherin? You're really acting like one."

Her cousin got an odd look on his face at that. "Rosie, if you're saying I'm acting like a Slytherin, I'll take that as a compliment. I was named after one, you know. And Dad said the bravest man he ever knew was a Slytherin. Look, we're right outside the Hufflepuff common room. Can we just table this for tonight?"

"Fine," Rose spat back. "But I really had thought you knew better, Albus." She followed the Hufflepuff in front of her through the door. How could Albus keep defending the Death Eater brat? As if there was any excuse for the things Malfoy had said. To think she'd thought he was all right while they ate... Well, the proud know-it-all had shown his true colors after the meal. How could he have been sorted into Gryffindor, of all houses? The only more unlikely one was Hufflepuff! She threw herself into a chair by the fireplace. And how could Al betray her like this? How could he side with the enemy? She'd told Scorpius she didn't believe all the rot her dad and uncle said about Slytherin, but now she wasn't so sure. Maybe they'd been right. Just because there were Slytherin war heroes, and Uncle Harry has assured her that there were, didn't mean that the house as a whole was decent. Look at its latest scion. She sighed.

The common room door opened. A dark-haired boy entered followed by the elder Potter brother. A cheer went up from the older students in the room.

"The little iceblood went down to the dungeons," the dark-haired boy said with a laugh. "If you melted the ice in his veins, he'd just be a slimy little worm. The only reason he looks like he has any backbone at all is because he's frozen solid."

Laughter went around the room. "Too bad,Tomhas," a girl said, mock sadnes dripping from her voice. "We could've had some fun with him if he'd come over here. Maybe thawed him out even."

"I doubt that would actually be fun, Bronte," James countered with a slight sneer. "He's a first year. He couldn't even fight back at all. You'd have him wailing in five minutes. Really, I thought you were brighter than that."

Rose watched James' face. He seemed rather serious, threatening even. She bit her lip. She struggled to believe that this was really her cousin talking. He never sounded like that at home. Why? Sure, he teased her and Albus relentlessly, but he'd never been truly mean. He was a Hufflepuff, after all! Weren't they the mild, loyal, and honorable house? She glanced over at Al and saw him scowl at his brother.


	4. Chapter 4

Scorpius stumbled through the doorway, biting his lip. No one had prepared him for words like those. He had known about his father's shady past. He had known that people hated his family because of it, but he hadn't realized that he'd be singled out like that. Did the coward have to sneak to speak to him like that? Not that Hufflepuffs were especially brave, but they weren't usually complete cowards, were they? He could've understood if Cuplach were a Slytherin. Father had said that sort of thing was normal for them. And he was not an iceblood, whatever the slur meant. He had not been born a icicle! No, he would not cry.

"Hey, what's wrong, kid?" The female voice made him jump.

"Wha-- who're you?" He spun toward the voice. She was girl, only a few years older than him. The green of her robes and her insignia identified her as a Slytherin.

She smiled. "I'm Arachne. You're Cousin Draco's son?"

Scorpius nodded. His father had a cousin? "So… My grandfather has a brother?" he asked. "I thought my only cousin was Teddy Lupin."

Arachne laughed. "No, not your grandfather. Unfortunately, Lupin's my cousin, too. Our grandmothers were sisters."

He frowned. His grandmother only had one living sister, and they weren't exactly on speaking terms… "How do you mean?" He gulped. "Oh… You mean Aunt Bella?"

Arachne nodded. "I mean, I know she wasn't exactly the sort of person you'd want to spend much time with, well, at least by the time Mom met her," she admitted. "But at least she was a Pureblood, right?" She sighed. "And at least I'm in Slytherin so my housemates don't harass me all the time about being descended from Death Eaters."

"What about the Muggleborn Slytherins?" Scorpius asked. "They don't say anything?"

Arachne laughed. "Oh, Professor Nott gives them all a stern talking to first thing about that. Us, too, really. All about how we can't choose who our parents are, so we're not to insult each other about our parents. The Slytherin Muggleborns are amazingly decent. Not like some of the others who always try to destroy our world and make us practically slave to the Muggles."

"You mean the sort that call us icebloods?" Scorpius asked.

Arachne's face grew dark. "Oh, you met one of those already? They couldn't even let you settle in first?"

Scorpius shook his head. "He cornered me in one of the corridors in the dungeons. Said that since I'm in the house of the dead, I should be dead, too. Some redhead got him to stop."

"He?" she asked. "Which he? There are a whole group of that sort. We're the only house to be free of them. After Professor Nott's speech, well, we've learned to stick together as a house. Even some of the Halfbloods have joined the faction. At least it's mostly confined to the students so far. I haven't heard of many adult Muggleborn Supremists."

He grimaced. "The Weasley girl called me a Pureblood Supremes," he muttered. "Sounds like they're even worse. At least we don't try to destroy their world." He sighed. "Oh, the redhead called him Cuplach."

Arachne gasped. "You mean Tomhas Cuplach?" Her face paled. "Scorpius, he's trouble. I wouldn't exactly be surprised if he tried to make good on his threat. He hates us. You'd never know he's a Halfblood."

No, Father had said Hogwarts was safe. No one would dare kill him here, right? "A-Arachne…" Scorpius hesitated. "I'm safe here at school, right? I mean, the professors can stop him if tries, right?"

Arachne smiled reassuringly. "Yes, here you're safe. And we Slytherins will keep an eye out for you. I doubt he'll try anything drastic here under the professors' noses. But he is dangerous, none the less."

"Hey, Lestrange!" a boy called. "Aren't you coming to meet our First Years?"

Arachne looked over her shoulder. "I'm talking to one of them," she retorted. "My cousin's here. And my name is Arachne. Just because you have the fortune to have a commonly respected last name doesn't mean everyone else does. I don't want your brother's friends reminded of my family, Alan Heathcliff."

A tall, brown-haired boy walked over. "But Scorpius Malfoy's a Gryffindor," he objected.

Heat flooded Scorpius' cheeks. "We have no prefects to show us the way to Gryffindor Tower," he said with a scowl. "I thought I'd stay here for the night. Maybe tomorrow we'll find out where it is and so forth."

The older boy nodded. "Of course," he said. "Well, come on and meet the Slytherin First Years. You're from a Slytherin family. Surely you can manage to get along with us, even though you are a Gryffindor."

Scorpius smiled awkwardly. "I suppose I've had eleven years to practice," he admitted. "And I'm not Sirius Black."

Arachne groaned at that. "I should hope not! Traitor to his own family. Honestly, I have no objections to him being sorted into Gryffindor, but to turn against his whole family? For no reason?"

Alan rolled his eyes. "I thought it was over Voldemort," he drawled. "Like how Daniel and I constantly fight over Cuplach. Didn't the other Blacks support Voldemort?"

"You really think an eleven-year-old would split with his family over that when no one ever told him anything different?" the black-haired girl retorted. "Scorpius, don't take this bloke seriously. He's always oversimplifying matters."

Scorpius grinned. He would enjoy his night with the snakes. "So, you wanted me to meet the new snakes?"

"Yeah, come on." Alan nodded. "I assume you've already met the rest of your own house. I figure you might need some other friends. The Potter-Weasley clan never did get along with your family. I don't imagine any of you will have an easy time of it." He drew Scorpius over to the centre of the room. "Hey, everybody," he called loudly. "I'd like you all to meet Scorpius Malfoy, the first Gryffindor in nineteen years."

Why did the boy have to make such a big deal about it? So he was the first person to be sorted into the house of the dead. So what? That just made him more of a freak than Potter and Weasley. He looked at the floor.

"Hi, I'm Peter," a quiet voice said.

Scorpius looked up to see a small, blond boy smiling at him. He smiled back. "Nice to meet you," he said quietly. "So, were you expecting to be in Slytherin?"

Peter shook his head. "I wasn't sure where I'd end up," he replied. "But I guess the Sorting Hat thought I fit in here best. What about you?"

"Well, if you'd told me I'd be a Gryffindor, I'd have sent you to Saint Mungo's," he admitted. "No Malfoy's been sorted into Gryffindor before. We've always been Slytherins."

"So I guess this'll all come a bit easier for you, though." Peter's black eyes glinted. "You've grown up knowing a good bit about magic. I tried reading my textbooks, but there's so much I just don't understand. Like in the charms book, it talks about all these wand movements, but there aren't any pictures and I can't seem to figure out what it's telling me to do."

"I take it you're Muggleborn," Scorpius observed. Well, Arachne had said that the Slytherin Muggleborns were all right. "Yeah, I guess growing up around magic does help. I've seen my parents cast those sorts of spells ever since I can remember. Would you… maybe… want me to help you?"

"Hey, Scorp!" another voice called before Peter could answer. "What happened to Gryffindor Tower, mate?"

Scorpius grinned. "Leo!" He punched the larger boy in the arm. "So you got in Slytherin after all. Oh, Peter, this is Leo. Our fathers were housemates. Leo, this is Peter."

An awkward silence followed. Scorpius looked at the two Slytherins, not sure what to say. He saw them looking at him and each other. He sighed.

"Hey," Peter asked abruptly after a long moment. "Do either of you know why ducks don't wear glasses?"

Scorpius stared at the Muggleborn. "Why ducks don't wear glasses?" he repeated. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Why would they?"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh, I know why they don't, but I wanted to know if you two did."

Scorpius shook his head. "No. I never thought about it."

"It's because they can't, of course," Peter announced. "They have no ears to hold them!"

Scorpius found himself laughing at the lameness of the joke. "Well, have you heard what the broomstick said to the Muggle drug lord?"

Leo and Peter looked at him expectantly. "What? I'm not sweeping up your cat litter?" Peter asked.

"No," Scorpius replied. "It said 'Why don't we do a Cleansweep of this dustbin.' Then it beat him like a rug until all the drugs fell out of his pockets."

********

Scorpius grinned at Peter and Leo as he walked over to the Gryffindor table. He noticed that Potter and the Weasley girl were already sitting at the long table. He sat down a little distance away from them. If they'd really spent the night with the Hufflepuffs, who knew what they'd think of him now. He grabbed the plate of sausage and took a couple. He stared at the table as he ate.

"Hey, Scorpius," Potter's voice said quietly. "Why don't you join us?"

Scorpius shrugged. "What, you want to impress Cuplach and his hoodlums?" he asked. "Already?"

The look on the other boy's face grew dark. "Me?" he spat. "Impress that bigot? Why would I want to do that? The way he goes off about Purebloods… My mum's a Pureblood. I can't understand how James can stand him! Even if I wanted to, I'm a Gryffindor and so are you. I'm not going to shoot my own house in the foot."

Scorpius let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Well, in that case…" He picked up his plate and moved down to sit next to the dark-haired boy. "The Slytherins had a bit to say about Cuplach. Him and his Muggleborn friends." He sighed.

"Don't you start, Scorpius Malfoy," the red-haired girl said with a glare. "Don't you dare start talking bad about Muggleborns."

Scorpius winced. "I'm not talking about all the Muggleborns here!" he exclaimed. "Some are actually cool. The ones in Slytherin are, at any rate. But I heard some things about the ones that hang around Cuplach. They sound like trouble."

The Weasley girl seemed to deflate. "Oh, them," she replied. "I can't say that group impressed me. I wonder what Dad would say about them."

"Reminded me of Dad talking about the Death Eater kids when he was a student," Albus muttered. "They're creepy."

Rose shrugged. "At least they're not out to kill everyone," she muttered. "I mean, if James doesn't mind them, they can't be all that bad, right?"

Scorpius looked back at the table. "Not out to kill everyone?" he asked quietly, thinking of Cuplach's words the previous night. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. After all, we are the house of the dead by now."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I've expanded this chapter a bit. Again, please read and review.

Albus looked closely at his housemate. The boy looked different than he had only the night before. The blond had been almost cocky, despite his nervousness about being a Gryffindor. Now he seemed… defensive, maybe scared, even. The way the other boy kept staring at the table made Al uncomfortable. "You're the boy Cuplach was talking about last night," he stated. "Aren't you? The one in the dungeons."

Malfoy nodded glumly. "Yeah," he whispered, looking at the table again. "I guess so."

Al nodded. That explained a lot. He looked over at his cousin, wondering if she understood. "Are you all right? He didn't hurt you, did he?" He hesitated. Memories of last night would not leave his mind. "James didn't do anything to you?"

The other boy's face flushed scarlet. "No," he muttered. "No one did anything. But Cuplach talked."

"I'm sorry." Albus sighed. "Cuplach, especially, gives me the creeps."

Malfoy's face tensed. "You think he's creepy?" he spat. "That's an understatement. He might have done something, but James called him away. He wanted to."

"He talked?" Rose demanded. "What's so creepy about that? Anyone can say anything. That doesn't mean anything. It's just talk."

"Not when someone says the sort of things he did," Scorpius replied. "You weren't there. You didn't hear him."

Al scowled as he saw his cousin roll her eyes. "Rose, did you even pay attention to the things Cuplach and his gang said last night? Don't you realize who they sound like? How can you think they're just talk?"

A cough behind them distracted them from their conversation. Albus looked up to see his godfather standing between him and Scorpius. "Uncle Severus," he said with a smile. "Good morning."

The headmaster smiled wryly. "Good morning, Albus," he said quietly. "I have your class schedules here." He handed them to each Gryffindor. "Before you look the over, I need to speak with you. All of you. Your Head of House will be Professor Longbottom. He will give you the password to the Gryffindor common room when we can convince the Fat Lady to give one. Until then, I do not want any of you returning to the Hufflepuff common room."

"But, Uncle Severus," Albus protested. "I want to stay with James. At least until we can go to the Gryffindor dorms."

Severus' eyes bored into the boy's. "You and Rose need to stay with Scorpius," he said firmly. "You can spend time with your brother outside of Hufflepuff quarters."

"But, Professor Snape," Rose objected. "You can't expect us to stay with him all the time! There's two of us. Can't we have any time to ourselves? My dad said to --"

"What your father said, Miss Weasley, will change nothing of my instructions," Severus interrupted. "One of you must be with Scorpius at all times. I expect you to take turns and not leave it all to your cousin."

Rose nodded with a scowl. "I don't see why I have to be Malfoy's babysitter," she muttered, barely loud enough for Al to hear her. "He's eleven years old, after all."

"Miss Weasley, you were not asked to see the reasons behind your instructions," the Headmaster snapped. "However, I expect your obedience."

Al couldn't help a smirk. His godfather had the ears of a bat. He should have expected Uncle Severus to hear his cousin. "See, Rose?" he teased. "I told you on the way here you wouldn't get away with anything."

She graced him with a Weasley glare. "No one appreciates an 'I told you so,' Al," she retorted. She turned to Severus. "Sir, this is Hogwarts. We're all safe here. This is the one place where nothing can happen. There's no war. I see no reason to spend my time with a paranoid Muggle-hater."

Al gasped. "Rosie," he whispered. "What are you thinking?"

"Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Weasley," the Headmaster snapped. "I suggest you should learn to open your eyes and ears. You might learn to recognize when things are not what they seem."

Rose scowled. "Yes, sir," she muttered sullenly.

"Uncle Severus," Albus interrupted. "This schedule says we have Defence class first. Where is that at?"

"Third floor, Albus," Severus replied. "Opposite side from the library. Speaking of which, you'd better hurry or you'll be late. Follow the Slytherin first years. They have the class with you."

Albus nodded his thanks and leaned over to Scorpius. "Let's learn how to bollix Cuplach's schemes," his whispered. "We can practice together, too, if you'd like."

Malfoy rewarded him with a small smile as he got up. "Come on," he said, giving Severus a small nod as he passed him.

Albus followed him as the other boy walked into a group of students clad in Slytherin green and silver. Rose could come with them if she wanted, but he'd had it with her minimizing what they'd heard last night. "Hey, Scorpius," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, by the way. About anything my brother said last night. I know he was in the dungeons, too."

Malfoy looked up at him. "No, don't apologize for him," he said in an oddly firm tone. "He did call Cuplach off. I mean, he doesn't seem to like me, but… he didn't join in. Oh, there's a couple people I'd like you to meet."

Scorpius turned to a blond boy. "Peter," he said. "This any housemate, Albus. Albus, this is Peter Rickman."

Albus smiled and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said. "How do you like the dungeons?"

Peter grinned. "They're pretty cool," he replied. "They're just like the books described them! I can hardly believe this place is real. I mean, I've read about this place for years. My dad's been in movies about Hogwarts since before I was born. But I never dreamed it was actually real!"

Albus jaw dropped. "Wait, you're Muggleborn, I take it, and you still knew about Hogwarts before you got your letter?" he asked. "But I thought Muggles weren't supposed to know about us!"

Peter shrugged. "We do, but everyone thinks they're just stories. I know Scorpius is Draco Malfoy's son. Your dad would be Harry Potter, right?"

Albus felt his face grow hot. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"Well, you two are in the last book?" Peter stated.

"What?!" Scorpius glared at his friend. "I'm in a book and you didn't tell me about it, Rickman?"

"It was just your name at the very end," Peter retorted. "Just a glimpse of you and your dad at Platform 9 ¾. There was nothing to tell you about."

Albus rolled his eyes. "So what's it like, being the son of a Muggle celebrity?" he asked. "Do the reporters hound you like they've tried hounding my family?"

Peter pursed his lips. "It's really hard to describe," he admitted. "The reporters and paparazzi do go after some celebrities and their families a lot. But Mum and Dad have managed to keep them away mostly. They don't even know I exist. I'd love to know how Mum and Dad did it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry this has taken me so long. Rosie is definitely more challenging for me to write and it was definitely her turn this chapter. And I kept getting distracted on top of it. Anyway, here is chapter six, finally.

Oh, and I used some of the scientific names for some of the herbs. I'd really like a more Hogwarts-ish feel to them, but I couldn't think of a simplification that felt right. *sigh* If anyone can think of a simpler version -- more dog Latinish, I suppose -- please, let me know.

As always, please read and review.

Rose sat down and blew her hair out of her face. How awkward. Why did Teddy have to take a position at Hogwarts? How could she call her cousin's boyfriend "Professor Lupin"? she scowled. No, she would not enjoy Potions classes this year. And Teddy would not enjoy this class, either. She glanced at Teddy as he strode into the room, robes billowing out behind him. Did all Potions professors do that?

"Welcome to you first Potions class," he began as he reached his desk. "I expect you all to pay close attention in this class, both to what I teach you and to what you are doing. No one has time to care for a newborn and I have no desire to carry you to the hospital wing in a matchbox. That being said, I want you to be able to enjoy this class. By the time you graduate, some of you will be ready to invent the newest line of joke potions. Others will, I hope, find more useful, more productive uses for the skills you will learn in this class.

"Now, I would like to know how much you know already. Who can tell me what a Mandrake Draught is used for?"Rose watched as her cousin raised his hand. How could Albus be ok with his godbrother being his professor? Malfoy, of course, had no problem with teddy teaching, but how could Al stand it? Why would he voluntarily participate?

"Mr. Potter?" Teddy called.

"It's used to restore people who've been petrified," Al stated confidently.

"Excellent," Teddy replied. "Five points to Gryffindor. Does anyone know the antidote to Lunatis Potion?"

A blond Slytherin beside of her raised his hand with a cheeky grin. What was amusing about some dumb antidote? Rose scowled at him.

"Mr. Rickman," Teddy acknowledged.

"A bezoar, sir," the boy announced.

Teddy's lips twitched. "That is one solution," he agreed. "Five points to Slytherin. I am curious how you knew that. However, there is also a specific antidote to that potion. Do you know that one also?"

The Slytherin frowned for a moment. Then he shook his head.

Teddy turned to Rose. "Miss Weasley," he said quietly. "Can you tell us the specific antidote?"

Rose clenched her fists. "A Calming Draught with ginger ale, cinnamon hearts, and pipe tobacco," she bit out. Take that, Teddy. He really thought he could get her participation in some dumb question and answer session? Yeah, right. Not this class, at least.

Teddy pressed his lips together. "Three points from Gryffindor," he said firmly. "I know you know the correct answer to this question, Miss Weasley."

Rose shrugged, knowing both her housemates must be glaring at her. "Then why did you ask me?" she countered. "I thought you were trying to find out what we know. So why ask me when you already know that I know? Ask Scorpius. You don't know him at all."

She felt the eyes of the entire class on her. She, in turn, stared at Teddy, wondering how he would respond to her challenge. After all, this would determine how he'd handle every other student.

Teddy sighed. "A valid question, Miss Weasley," he said with a nod. "Very well, Mr. Malfoy, same question."

The blond Gryffindor's forehead creased thoughtfully. "Tinctures of lavender and mentha spicata1 with infusions of ginseng and mandrake leaves?" he said slowly.

"Is that a question or a statement?" Teddy asked calmly.

"A statement, sir," Malfoy replied. "And wouldn't a small amount of artemisia vulgaris or borago officinalis2 extracts make the antidote more potent?"

Rose stared at her housemate. The boy might be a bigot, but he was bloody smart. She knew a lot about potions from her mother, Uncle George, and Teddy, but she could not imagine suggesting improvements on potions as a first year. Perhaps being Malfoy's housemate wouldn't be so bad after all.

"That is the correct answer," Teddy replied. "And your suggestions were well thought. Eight points to Gryffindor."

The rest of the unexpected quiz passed uneventfully. Rose pretty well tuned everything out. She had probably learned enough about potions to pass the first year test at home by now. A loud _bffppffttbp_ brought her attention back to the classroom. She couldn't hide her grin as she saw Teddy sitting at his desk, his teeth clenched.

"What did you do?" Albus hissed in her ear. "I know it was you. You only grin like that when one of your pranks worked."

"I just used one of Uncle George's whoopee cushions," she whispered back. "And I put a little bit of bubotuber pus in it as I inflated it."

"Rosie!" Albus all but wailed. "We'll have a hard enough time earning enough points to win the House Cup. Are you trying to ruin any chance we've got?"

"Oh, stop acting like Mum and Uncle Percy," she retorted under her breath. "It's not as if I plan on this every class. But I don't like having to call Teddy fancy names all the time. It's too weird."

Teddy stood, his breath hissing through his teeth. "Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter, detention." His eyes pinning Rose's. "Class dismissed." He walked stiffly out of the door at the back of the classroom.

Rose grabbed her book bag and stood, ignoring Albus' eyes glare. She walked toward the door.

"Rose Weasley," Albus practically screamed. "Now you've got me in detention on our first day when I didn't even have anything to do with it!"

"Then you shouldn't have started whispering to me as soon as that whoopee cushion went off!" she retorted. "It's not my fault you got detention, too. Next time, mind your own business."

1Spearmint

2Mugwort and borage


	7. Chapter 7

Albus watched Scorpius follow Rose out of the classroom. He sighed. He had definitely noticed the desperation his housemate had tackled his DADA studies. The black-haired boy bit his lip, wishing his friend would tell him just what Cuplach had said. The blond had clearly not forgotten any of it, even now that a week had passed. He slowly made his way to the library.

A thatch of wild, red hair caught his attention. He ran forward and grabbed his older brother's arm. "James," he hissed. "How could you? What would Mum and Dad say if they knew the kinds of things you and Cuplach got up to here?"

James grabbed Al's wrist and spun him into an alcove. "It's not what you think, Al," he said softly. "I hate what Tomhas Cuplach stands for. But I'm a Hufflepuff. I see him all the time. I know what he's capable of. The only reason Mum and Dad don't know is because I don't want to worry them. And I'd advise you not to say anything, either. I don't want anything to happen to you, Al. Any of you."

"And you think joining him will protect us?" Al countered. "I thought you were smart."

James sighed. "I haven't joined him," he stated. "But I don't want him to know that yet. At least this way, I can stop a bit of the worst he'll do here. It's better than doing nothing. Why did you have to end up in Gryffindor, Al? Even Slytherin would be safer for now! How am I supposed to look after you in the Tower?"

"Wait." Al frowned. "So acting like a bully is your way of looking after me? You need to get a grip, James. Did someone hit you with a Cruciatus one too many times?"

"Albus Severus Potter, that's not funny." James' face was far more serious than Al had ever seen it before.

"Neither is your excuse." Al folded his arms across his chest. "You're not making much sense."

James' forehead creased. "If Cuplach knows what I really believe, he'll never listen to me." he explained slowly. "Next year he'll be gone and I won't have to worry about it. But this year, sometimes I can talk him out of some of his plans -- keep the first years safe, if no one else. Convince him to go after the older students who can fight back, rather than you and Scorpius who don't know enough yet. Does that, at least, make sense?"

Albus nodded slowly. "A bit," he said. "I'm still not quite satisfied. But I'll let you prove it. But if you don't, I _am telling Mum and Dad."_

_James nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "And you three stay safe." He slipped out of the alcove and disappeared._

_Albus leaned against the wall, watching his brother. So Scorpius was right that Cuplach was a danger. His own instinct had screamed as much to him. If this Hufflepuff made even care-free James nervous, something was wrong. Why didn't Uncle Severus know? Why hadn't he told Dad?_

_Al pushed away from the wall and resumed his path to the library. He spotted Rose right away, spinning her quill between her fingers. He carefully made his way over to her. "I just saw James," he said quietly as he sat down beside her._

_She looked over at him. "And?" she asked. "What did he have to say?"_

"_Well, he said he's worried about us. That Cuplach guy seems to worry him. He said he's trying to look out for us." Albus shrugged. "I don't know. This is Hogwarts, after all. We're supposed to be safe here, especially from other students. I know that. But if even James is worried… And you know how he is. Nothing ever bothers him. And Uncle Severus seemed to think there was danger from that corner, too. So maybe something really is going on."_

_Rose rolled her eyes. "Of course something's going on," she retorted. "Cuplach's a bully. I'm not going to deny that. But you're looking for some big Death Eater plot. The war's over, Albus. Uncle Harry killed Voldemort. We don't have to worry about that anymore."_

"_Where's Scorpius?" Al asked abruptly, noticing that the blond-haired boy was absent._

"_Oh, he went to look up something about different kinds of mint and the phases of the moon," she replied dismissively. "He'll be right back. Completely mental, if you ask me. I don't understand what he finds so fascinating about it. In fact, I don't understand most of what he was talking about."_

_Albus snickered. "Yeah, you'd rather use the potions than brew and invent them," he teased. "Any way, I just came over to relieve you from bodyguard duty." He walked off among the bookshelves._

_He found the blond Gryffindor standing with his face buried in an advanced potions text. "Hey, Scorp," he said softly._

_Scorpius' head flew. "Al," he replied with a smile. "You should check this out. It's got all this stuff about how charms can change everything about a potion." He handed it to Albus._

_Albus scanned down, the page, a grin spreading across his face. "This could be so much fun!" he exclaimed. "I wonder what year Teddy'll start teaching us about charmed potions." He looked up. "But who says we have to wait?" He grinned at the boy who was rapidly becoming his best friend outside of the family. "Come on."_

_Albus pocketed the book and left the library. His thoughts drifted to his conversation with James as he blew his wayward hair out of his face. He thought of the blood protection his grandmother had given his father. If need be, he wondered, would he be able to activate that for his housemate? He shook his head. Cuplach wasn't Voldemort. Why was he thinking like this? This was Hogwarts. They were all students. Sure, Cuplach might become a murderer someday, but not 'til he left school! The creep wouldn't dare do anything like that yet._

_At that, Albus forced such thoughts out of his mind. He glanced over at his housemate. "Scorpius, you want to try one of the second year potions?" he asked. "I'm tired of studying this first year stuff Teddy -- Professor Lupin -- gave us. It's too easy."_

_Scorpius grinned. "How about a Colour-Change Potion?" he suggested. "We could put it in some pumpkin juice and have a house elf take it to Professor Lupin. I'd love to see what it does to a metamorphmagus."_

_Al raised his eyebrows. "Pranking a professor? You really are a Gryffindor," he teased. "You sure you don't want to send some to Cuplach's goons? Imagine them walking around with green skin and silver hair."_

_Scorpius pressed his hand to his mouth. "They'd be so mad!" he choked out. "We'd have to make sure they never find out it was us. But I don't want to give them an excuse to hide behind when they try something."_

"_No," Albus agreed. "But Rickman could do it. You know he'd jump at the chance to be part of a wizarding prank. He's a Muggleborn, so he can get away with it."_

"_Speaking of Muggleborns and blood status, we've got mudblood and iceblood," Scorpius commented. "After those, what will they come up with for Halfbloods?"_

_Albus shrugged. "Perhaps nobloods, since we're neither one nor the other?" he suggested._

_Scorpius laughed. "Then you'd all be bloodsuckers, since we all need blood to live," he quipped._

"_Sounds like an appropriate term when you look at Cuplach and Voldemort," Al admitted. "But I'm no vampire and neither is my godfather, for that matter. Don't listen to anything my uncles or cousins say to the contrary."_

"_No," Scorpius agreed. "You're not. Neither of you have the fangs, for one thing. But I'd love to see the Headmaster to an impersonation. It'd be downright creepy.'_

_Albus threw back his head and howled with laughter as he turned into the empty classroom. He dropped his book bag on a desk and pulled out a small cauldron. "You got the book, Scorp?" he asked._

_Scorpius nodded and reached into his own book bag. "So, do you have any ideas how to slip this to our youngest professor without getting detention for it?" he asked. "And perhaps we should give some to my other cousin while we're at it."_

"_Your other cousin?" Albus asked. "Who's that? There's another Malfoy at Hogwarts?"_

_The other boy shook his head. "No, on my grandmother's side," he explained. "Arachne Lestrange, third year Slytherin. You'd like her."_

"_Lestrange!" Albus shuddered slightly. "Bellatrix and Rudolphus had kids?!"_

"_She's not a crazed killer like her grandmother," Scorpius protested. "She's never been to Azkaban. There's never been anything to mess her up like that. I think you'd like her."_

_Albus shook his head. "It's not that, Scorp," he said quickly. "It's the thought of those two having a child. Of someone -- anyone -- having those two as parents. It'd be horrible."_

_Scorpius shrugged. "I hadn't thought of that," he admitted. "But are we going to make this potion? I want to turn my cousins pink."_


End file.
